Obama on Fox transcript  —  The transcript of Obama on Fox is up.  —  As I mentioned, Obama is trying to separate himself from the most strident parts of his base, and he does this pretty effectively throughout the interview: … Obama mentions deregulation of industry, charter schools, a new variation of merit pay.

Bowling 1, Health Care 0  —  Chapel Hill, N.C.  —  FOR the last month, news media attention was focused on Pennsylvania and its Democratic primary.  Given the gargantuan effort, what did we learn?  —  Well, the rancor of the campaign was covered.  The amount of money spent was covered.

Obama on Those Who Say He Doesn't Respect the Flag: 'It's a Lie'  —  At a town hall in Kokomo, Ind., Friday a woman told Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., that her mother wasn't going to vote for him because he didn't “address the flag.”  —  “This is a phony issue,” Obama said.  “So let me address it right now.”

Babies seized by Robert Mugabe's forces as Zimbabwe hounds voters  —  Thousands flee crackdown  —  Christina Lamb and John Makura in Harare  —  Scores of children and babies have been locked up in filthy prison cells in Harare as Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, sinks to new depths …

Grasping at Straws: The NY Times on McCain  —  This is getting embarrassing.  Remember the front-page story The New York Times ran about John McCain's non-affair with a lobbyist?  That was the long-held piece of non-news that the Times subtly dropped like a barbell at midnight shortly …

How the South Won (This) Civil War  —  Southernism is taking over our national dialogue.  Maybe it's time for the North to secede from the Union.  —  NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE  —  In the summer of 1863, Robert E. Lee led an ill-advised incursion into Pennsylvania.

Karzai Escapes an Assassination Attempt in Kabul  —  KABUL, Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt at a military parade in central Kabul on Sunday, when suspected Taliban insurgents fired mortars and bullets at the dignitaries assembled in the spectator stands.

The nomination battle  —  Arnold Kling summarizes quite succinctly just how much the stars aligned to put Obama in the lead: … Arnold thinks that as soon as the dust has settled, the party will unite behind the nominee.  —  I would guess that this will be less true of a Hillary Clinton nomination than of a Barack Obama nomination.

Why is Obama Hiding the Truth About William Ayers?  Follow the Money  —  Barack Obama is not telling the truth about his relationship with Bill Ayers.  There is more to this story than is already known, but Obama and his campaign are working hard to obfuscate and cover up the matter.  Why?

AL SHARPTON CONVENES ANOTHER LYNCH MOB  —  Al Sharpton is back in the news today with his vow to close New York down to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the death of Sean Bell.  Sharpton's long career as the race hustling leader of lynch mobs is one of the continuing disgraces of our public life.

McCain: 'It's very clear who Hamas wants' in the White House  —  (CNN) — John McCain said Friday that “it's clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States” — the second time in as many weeks that his campaign has referenced positive remarks by Ahmed Yousef, a member of that group, about Barack Obama.